Hen s nest



(No Model.)

B. M. SGHUMAOHER.

HENS NEST.

Patented Apr. 10, 1888.

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NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMIL M. SGHUMAOHER, OF WEST VIEW, PENNSYLVANIA.

H ENS N EST.

SPEGIPICATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 380,699, dated April10, 1888.

Application filed December 16, 1887. Serial No. 258,117. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMIL M. SOHUMAGHER,

of lVest View, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Hens Nests; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming partof this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional viewof my improved hens nest. Fig. 2 is a section of the same on the line :0r of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the bottom of the nest.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts wherever they occur.

My invention relates to an improvement in that class of hens nests inwhich the nest is provided with devices operated by the weight of thehen upon the nest, so as to inclose the hen and prevent access of otherfowls or animals to the nest. The mechanism is also arranged so thatwhen the hen leaves the nest a door shall open and permit free exit.There have been a number of different apparatus devised for this generalpurpose; but heretofore none of them has come into general use, be causeeither they have been so complicated in their structure as to be undulyexpensive and difficult to keep in order or because the mechanism hasbeen so imperfect as to prevent its successful operation. I havetherefore devised my improvement, the'object being to afford a cheapsimple construction which will be within the reach of ordinary farmers,and which in its operation will not be liable to injure or alarm thehens.

I will now describe my invention, so that others skilled in the art maymanufacture and use the same.

In the drawings, a represents a box within which the nest is inclosed,and I) is the nest, which consists, preferably, of a light bowlshapedbasket or frame filled with hay or other suitable material. Projectingfrom the bottom of the nest and fixed thereto is a rod or stem, 0, whichpasses through a socket or bearing in the guide-arm d, one end of whichis secured to the side of the box a. The free end of the rod 0 ispivoted to the long arm of the lever e, which lever is journaled orpivoted by the cross-barf to the side of the box a. Ex-

way is provided with a lightvertically-sliding door, 1', arranged invertical slides or grooves j, situate at the sides of the doorway.Extending down from the bottom of the door 2', through the floor orpartition 70 in the box a, are two rods,

m m, which are joined by the cross-rod n below the floor k, to whichcross-rod the free end of the long arm of the lever e is pivoted.

The operation of the device is as follows: The hen enters the doorway hon her way to the nest, and when she reaches the nest and steps upon ither weight causes it to descend, thereby throwing down the long end ofthe lever 6, which, by means of the rods m m, closes the door 1'. Owingto the sliding rod 0 being attached to the long arm of the lever e nearits pivotal point, but a slight movement of the nest is requisite tomove the end of the lever a sufficient distance to close the door, andas the movement of the door and lever is noiseless, and as the operativeparts are removed from sight of the hen below the nest, there is nothingin the operation of the nest to cause alarm to the hen or to induce herto leave the nest. When the hen rises from the nest and steps to thefloor k, the weight {1 causes the short arm of the lever to descend andthe nest and long arm of the lever to rise, which again opens the door tand retains it in its normal position. By increasing or decreasing theweight g, or by altering its position, the weight or pressure requisiteto depress the nest may be regulated so that but a slight weight will besufficient to operate the door-closing mechanism.

The advantages of my improvement are, that the door is operated in bothdirections by a positive movement, that the devices may be soconstructed as to operate noiselessly and with a minimum movement of thenest, and that the mechanism is simple, being composed of the fewestpossible parts, and is efficient an not liable to get out of order.

I am aware of Letters Patent No. 294,974, granted to J. B. Dillon onMarch 11, 1884, and I do not desire to claim the combination of devicestherein shown and described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, In testimony whereof Ihave hereunto setmy [0 1s handthis 12th day of December, A. D. 1887.

In a hens nest, the combination of a pivoted weighted lever situatebelow the nest, a nest EMIL M. SOHUMAGHER.

mounted on the lever, and a sliding door connected by a positiveconnection with thelever, 'Witnesses:

whereby the door is operated positively by W. B. CORWIN movement of thenest, substantially as and for J. K. SMITH.

the purposes described.

